Spark plug cleaner



y 17, 1962 E. w. MALCHOW 3,044,093

SPARK PLUG CLEANER Filed Nov. 9, 1959 INVENTOR. EM/L V14 MALCHOW A TTORNE Y Unite States This invention relates to a tool for cleaning spark plugs and has for an object to provide a device that, by simple oscillatory movements, simultaneously cuts into and re- 7 ,moves burnt oil and carbon deposits around the central electrode insulator as well as in the bend of the ground electrode and particularly around the insulator at the base thereof. Thus, the present tool comprises means whereby current-dissipating and shorting deposits may be removed with easy facility to restore a fouled spark plug to eflicient operating condition.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a Working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a spark plug cleaner according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view thereof in operative cleaning position with a spark plug, the latter being shown fragmentary and in vertical section.

FIG. 3 is a broken cross-sectional view as taken on the line 33 of FIG. 2 with the cleaner in one operative position.

FIG. 4 is a similar view with the tool in another position.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view, in the position of FIG. 4, as taken on the line 5--5 of FIG. 2.

The spark plug shown in FIG. 2 is generally typical in that the same has an outer mounting shell that has an interior hollow 11 and carries a ground terminal or electrode 12 that is directed radially across the end of said hollow in the usual way, a central electrode 13 in cooperative sparking association with the electrode 12, and an insulator 14 carried by the shell 10 and carrying the electrode 13 and disposed in said hollow 11. The insulator and shell define an annular space 15 between them, said space being open at the end toward the electrode 12 and closed at the opposite end 16 by an enlargement of the insulator. The insulator 14 is ordinarily tapered as shown.

It will be understood that said annular space 15 and particularly the end 16 thereof may accumulate deposits of carbon and burnt oil. Also, that the bend 17 in the ground electrode 12 may fill with such deposits. The present tool by simple manual oscillations, may clean away such deposits in a matter of a fraction of a minute.

The present tool comprises, generally, a handle part 20, a semi-cylindrical extension 21 of said part 20, relief recesses 22 in the extension and an end cylindrical cleaner 23 provided with crown teeth 24. The tool above generally described is integrally formed of the mentioned parts and is adapted to be produced from a round bar of suitably hard metal and a transverse smaller handle bar 25.

The handle part has the bar affixed thereto so that manual rotational manipulation of the tool is rendered ice easy so that the tool may be oscillated on its axis with finger application on bar 25.

The extension 21 and cylindrical cleaner 23 extending from said extension are intentionally hollow. In this case, the same are provided with a tapered bore 26 that conforms, generally, to the taper of the insulator 14 and freely accommodates the same. Said extension has longitudinal outer edges 27 that scrape the hollow or bore 11 of the shell 10, and longitudinal inner edges 28 that scrape deposits from the tapered insulator 14.

The recesses 22 are formed in said extension 21 so that, as shown in FIG. 5, the horizontal portion of the ground electrode 12 may be received therein, enabling the lower ends of faces 23 to displace deposits that may accumulate in the bend 17 of said electrode.

The cleaner 23 is cylindrically tubular and the same is interrupted by a longitudinal slot 30 of a width to enable the tool to be applied past the electrode 12. The edges 31 of slot 30' comprise scraper edges similar to edges 27 and 28,-the same scraping the inward portions of the shell bore 11 and the tapered insulator 14. The cleaner 23 may be proportioned, longitudinally, as desired.

The teeth 24 are shown right hand on one side and left hand on the other. Thus, the teeth on one side or the other will scrape or cut irrespective of the direction that the tool is turned. If desired, the teeth may be alternately right hand and left hand. In any case, the teeth 24 may be brought to bear against deposits in the end 16 of the electrode so that oscillations of the tool will cut into and remove such deposits.

It will be noted that the recesses 22 may be oversize with respect to the electrode 12, so that the teeth 24 gradually cut into deposits until the same reach fully into end 16 while full oscillatorymovement of the tool for cleaning the bend 17 is being eifected.

While the foregoing specification illustrates and describes what I now contemplate to be the best mode of carrying out my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Therefore, I do not desire to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, 'but desire to cover all modifications .that may fall Within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my. invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A spark plug cleaner comprising a handle part, a semi-cylindrical extension of said handle part provided with longitudinal faces defined between inner and outer scraping edges, recesses formed in said faces and constituting abutments to limit oscillatory movement of the cleaner when said extension is entered into the annular space between the tapered insulator of the central electrode and the metal mounting shell of a spark plug and said recesses are engaged, alternately, with opposite sides of the bent ground electrode of said plug, each recess having an edge portion that overlaps the electrode in the bend thereof when the recesses are so alternately engaged, a tubular cleaner part on the end of said extension having a longitudinal slot large enough to allow the ground electrode to pass during entry of the cleaner into the mentioned annular space, crown teeth on the end of said cleaner part, said semi-cyliudrical extension and the tubular cleaner on the end thereof having a common tapered bore so that the inner scraper edges of the extension bear on the surface of the mentioned insulators.

2. In a spark plug cleaner, an elongated tubular body having an intermediate cut-away portion that is of substantially semi-circular cross-section and terminating at substantially diametrically disposed and longitudinal faces that are defined between inner and outer scraping edges, each face having a recess formed therein that reduces the circumferential extent of the intermediate portion of the body, transverse edges being formed where the recesses and the respective longitudinal faces meet, said transverse edges being adapted to clean within the. bend of the ground electrode of a spark plug while the body is being moved in oscillatory fashion around its axis to move the scraping edges thereof in cleaning relation to the insulator andmounting shell of the spark plug and when the recesses engage the mentioned electrode to limit the mentioned oscillatory movement, said inside walls of the elongated tubular body and the intermediate semi-circular portion being provided with a common tapered interior Wall so that the inner scraping edges engage the tapered surface of the insulator surrounding the central electrode of the spark plug.

3. A spark plug cleaner according to claim 2 wherein crown teeth are provided on the end of the elongated tubular body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

